Pokemon: Facades
by Rolf Kaiser the Jester
Summary: The beginning of Rolf Kaiser's Pokemon journey has finally arrived after waiting for years passed the normal age of ten. On his journey, he'll meet friends, he'll meet enemies, some enemies will become friends, and some friends will become enemies. Join Rolf as he learns just how harsh the real world is! (OCs welcome. See inside for details. OCs by PM only!)
1. Chapter 1

**Pokémon: Facades**

**Chapter One: Prologue**

* * *

Well, this was it. I was _finally_ going to get my Pokémon and begin my journey.

Perhaps I should explain. My name is Rolf Kaiser. As far as appearance goes, I'm not very unique; I'm really thin, almost sickly so, I have short grey-ish hair, and I usually just wear a pair of tan slacks, a purple button up shirt, and some brown loafers.

I've been wanting to go on a Pokémon journey ever since I was little, and I thought I would be able to go when I turned ten, but lo and behold when I arrived in Pallet Town to get my Pokémon, they were all already taken, and since I live in Lavender Town, I don't often get the chance to go all the way to Pallet Town. So instead of just trying again the next year, I decided to get through high school first, and save up some extra money. Needless to say, I had tried as hard as I could to finish high school in as little time as possible and I had managed to graduate at seventeen years old.

And that brings us to today. I, and many others, had gathered in front of Professor Oak's lab on a warm summer morning to obtain our Pokémon. The professor had made a list of everyone that was to show up and had prepared more than just three Pokémon like usual. We had been told that we would be called in by threes to receive our Pokémon, but only the first three would get Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle.

And so we stood, and we waited, many of us having too much anticipation to stay still. As I observed the others, I realized how out of place I must look, for there were very few people my age, most were kids who didn't look a day over ten years old, but there were a few that were older, looking somewhere between fourteen and eighteen.

One person that stood out to me was a boy who looked to be around my age, what was peculiar about him though was his manner of dress. He was wearing a stark white business suit with a white top hat covering his stark white hair, and to complete the picture, he was currently gazing at a silver pocket watch. A lot of the other kids seemed to be staring at him too, I mean, it was hard not to, it wasn't everyday you saw someone dressed like him.

I continued to observe him, but quickly looked away when I heard the door of professor Oak's lab open. There he stood, the man himself; Professor Gary Oak. A couple of years ago, Samuel Oak had retired from his profession and Gary had taken up the mantle of Kanto's Pokémon Professor. We all stood in anticipation as we waited for him to call the first three names.

"Barney Bristol, Lenore Bateson, and Kristen Jameson, please come forward to receive your Pokémon!" He called out.

Immediately, three ten year olds bounded their way up to the door of the lab. Professor Oak ushered them in and closed the door behind them.

It looked like this would be a long day.

* * *

Roughly two hours and many trios of children later, my name was finally called. Along with me, the names Hershel Wile and Lucia Wile, whom I could only assume were siblings, were called. I walked up to the lab where Professor Oak was waiting and found that the guy I had been observing earlier was there as well, I assumed he must be Hershel Wile. There was a girl standing next to him, Lucia Wile no doubt. She looked nothing like Hershel though; she was just a tad shorter than he was, she had long black hair, and in terms of dress, she was totally different than him; while he was wearing a suit, she wore a simple pair of jeans, tennis shoes, and a white T-shirt.

I stood next to Hershel briefly before Professor Oak beckoned us into the lab. Lucia went first, then Hershel, and then finally me.

The inside of the lab was much different than I had imagined. I guess I thought it would be a bit less modern than it was simply because of the surrounding Pallet Town. There were machines of all different shapes, sizes, and colors with blinking lights on every available surface.

Professor Oak led us over to a small table with three Poke balls on top of it.

"Inside these three Poke balls are the Pokémon that will accompany you on your journey through the Kanto region and beyond." Professor Oak said with a gesture towards the Poke balls. "The three Pokémon that you will choose from are Exeggcute, Vulpix, and Krabby. Please decide amongst yourselves who wants which one, and try to decide without causing too much of a fuss."

Before I had time to do anything, Hershel walked up to the table and picked up the ball containing Krabby. Lucia made an annoyed sigh.

"I hope you don't mind my brother." She said. "He always has a sense of entitlement for some reason."

"Oh, uh, yeah, it's fine. I didn't want Krabby anyway." I responded.

"Well, all the same, why don't you choose next?" She offered with a smile.

"Oh, well, thanks." I said, mentally hitting myself for giving such a weak answer.

I approached the table and weighed my options carefully. On one hand there was Exeggcute; it had a grass/psychic typing, his best stats being defense and Sp. Attack. And on the other hand there was Vulpix; a plain fire typing, its best stats being Sp. defense and speed. Hmmm….

With my mind made up, I reached down and picked up Exeggcute's Poke ball. As soon as I did, Lucia walked over and picked up Vulpix's ball.

"Good. Now that you've all decided on a Pokémon, I'll give you five empty and Poke balls and I'd like to wish you good luck on your journeys." Professor Oak said as he handed us the aforementioned Poke balls.

"Wait." I said. "Don't kids usually get a Pokedex too?"

The professor gave me an annoyed look.

"There's no reason too, I already filled up my Pokedex when I went on a Pokémon journey." He explained.

"Oh. I see." Was all I could say.

"Now then, if you'd be so kind, I need to move on to the next group, so I'll need you to leave now."

The three of us nodded our heads in acknowledgment and made our way to the door and back outside. Once we had gone a fair distance from the lab, Hershel spoke up.

"Lucia and…other kid, I challenge both of you to a battle!"

"I'm sorry, dear brother, but I don't battle idiots." Lucia said nonchalantly.

Hershel growled angrily. "Fine. Kid! You battle me then!"

Judging from the look he was giving me, I didn't have much of a choice in the matter, and besides, I was itching to battle as well.

"You're on! Go, Exeggcute!" I said.

"Get em, Krabby!" Hershel yelled.

"All right, I guess I'll be the judge then." Lucia said. "This will be a one on one battle with no restrictions. Begin!"

"Just to give you a fighting chance, I'll let you go first." Hershel said with a smug grin.

Hershel was really starting to rub me the wrong way. "Exeggcute, use….what do you know, Exeggcute?" Exeggcute just gave me a deadpan look.

Lucia piped up. "Well, at this level, it would know Barrage, Uproar, and Hypnosis."

Hershel gave her a very betrayed look. "Sister, Why are you helping him!?"

"Mostly because you're his opponent, moron." She replied.

"Whatever, I can still beat you, kid! Make your move!" Hershel yelled at me.

"Okay then. Exeggcute, use Uproar!" I commanded.

As soon as the words left my mouth, Exeggcute began making the most ungodly cacophony I had ever heard. I covered my ears and could see that Hershel and Lucia were doing the same. Krabby seemed to be trying to cover his ears, but was having a hard time doing so with his pincers. After Exeggcute quieted down and it was safe to uncover our ears, I noticed Krabby wasn't looking so good.

"Krabby, use Vicegrip!" Hershel said.

Krabby was a lot faster than I would have given him credit for. He rushed over to Exeggcute, quicker than I would have thought possible on those little legs, and delivered a sharp scissor-like cut to one of the unfortunate little eggs. The egg that had sustained damage had rolled onto his side and was no longer moving. Could the eggs actually faint individually? That seemed to be the case here.

I was about to order my next attack, but was unable to as Exeggcute began its horrible screeching again. Right, Exeggcute would be locked into Uproar for a few turns. I tried to block out the sound once again, but the sound stopped just as soon as it had started. I looked at Exeggcute, wondering why he had stopped so abruptly, when I noticed that Krabby was no longer standing and had its eyes closed.

"Krabby is unable to battle! Exeggcute is the winner!" Lucia said loudly.

"What!? Impossible! You must have cheated in some way!" Hershel exclaimed.

"My GOSH, Hershel! Can't you ever just accept that you've lost fair and square?" Lucia said with irritation clear in her voice. "Just give him his prize money so we can all move on with our lives."

Hershel pulled some money out of his pocket and threw it in my face as he passed me on his way to Route 1.

"Ugh, I'm sorry about my brother's behavior...again. He's a bit of a poor sport." Lucia apologized.

"Hah, it's fine."

"If you say so." Lucia said. "Your name is Rolf, right?"

"Yeah, Rolf Kaiser." I answered.

"Well, as you may or may not remember, my name is Lucia Wile, and that idiot you just battled is my brother Hershel." She said. "I had thought that maybe the three of us could travel together, but I should have known that was impossible with my brother being the way he is. Anyways, I have to catch up with Hershel and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. See ya later!"

And with that, both siblings had left. If today was anything to go by, this adventure was going to be more eventful than I had anticipated.

* * *

_**A/N: Whew, it's been a while since I've written anything, but I felt like doing a Pokémon story. So here it is! Now, as you may have noticed in the summary (If I remembered to put it there) I will be accepting OCs for this story, but only for the gym leaders and Elite Four members.**_

**GYM LEADER FORM**

**Name:**

**Age:**

**Gender:**

**Personality:**

**Appearance:**

**Type Specialization:**

**Team: (Gym leaders number 1, 2, and 3 can have two or three Pokémon. 4, 5, and 6 can have four or five Pokémon. And 7 and 8 can six Pokémon)**

**Which City is your OCs gym in?: (All cities are fair game.)**

**Anything else I should know?:**

**ELITE FOUR FORM**

**Name:**

**Age:**

**Gender:**

**Personality:**

**Appearance:**

**Team:**

**Type Specialization: (You don't have to have one, but you can have one if you want one.)**

**Anything else I should know?:**

**Only send your OCs by PM, not through review. And title your message "Facades OC: (Your character's name here)"**

_**Thanks for reading! And please remember to review!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: The Dawn of a Journey**

* * *

My walk through Route 1 was a little lackluster, but it wasn't altogether unpleasant. I was surrounded by nature and there was a warm summer breeze blowing through the trees. Originally, I had planned to let my Pokémon walk with me across the route, but when I let Exeggcute out, he had a hard time moving even a few feet, so instead I just took periodic breaks to let him out to enjoy the day.

Right now was one such moment. I was sitting under the shade of a tree with Exeggcute sitting (standing?) next to me. As far as I could tell, Exeggcute was pretty relaxed, thus far he hadn't done much besides sit and stare into the tall grass intensely. I wasn't quite sure what his fixation was with it, but he rarely took the time to tear his eyes away from it, of course, he had multiple pairs of eyes, so at least two of the eggs were staring elsewhere at all times. Now that I thought about, Exeggcute was like the ultimate security system; he could look in all directions at the same time and alert you if he saw anyone or anything that looked threatening. Note to self: Obtain several Exeggcutes to use as a home security system when you settle down.

I was about to pack up and finish the last leg of the trip to Viridian City, when a wild Rattata leaped out of the tall grass towards Exeggcute. I started to panic, but not even two seconds after Rattata left the grass, Exeggcute began his Uproar. I covered my ears once again, waiting until the Exeggcute was done with his attack. He soon finished his attack, leaving Rattata twitching and writhing in agony.

I pulled out Exeggcute's ball to recall him, but stopped to watch Exeggcute as he approached the unconscious Rattata. He rolled over to it, and then proceeded to, what looked like, hide the body in the tall grass where it was out of clear view. Once he was satisfied with its placement, he looked in all directions, as if making sure no one had seen him.

I recalled him and sighed. Apparently, I had gotten an Exeggcute that acted like a gang. Perfect. I shook my head and continued on my way.

Within a few minutes, I found myself in Viridian City, the most notable feature, of course, was the gym. The Pokémon Gym here was on the verge of being closed down, simply because it wasn't getting enough use, but there were a few different groups trying to keep it open due to the fact that it was one of the original eight Pokémon Gyms of the Kanto region. But right now, it had no leader or members, and so it just sat there day after lonely day, awaiting what was almost certain doom.

I made my way to the Pokémon Center to heal up Exeggcute, seeing as one of his eggs had fainted in the battle with Hershel and his Krabby. As soon as I walked inside, I realized these places were greatly underappreciated. Not only was there a healing machine and a Poke Mart, but there were couches, TVs, picnic tables, and even a cafeteria! I walked up to the front counter and before I could say anything, Nurse Joy said the line that she's famous for.

"Hello and welcome to the Pokémon Center. We restore your Pokémon to full health. Would you like to rest your Pokémon?" She asked. I now felt that I was actually on a Pokémon journey.

"Yes, please." I answered as I handed over Exeggcute's ball.

"Okay, I'll take your Pokémon for a few seconds." She took Exeggcute's ball and placed it on a nearby tray that was being held by a Chansey. Chansey took the tray into a back room and out of sight.

I figured I couldn't exactly leave until I got Exeggcute back, so I headed over to the cafeteria to get something to eat. There were so many foods to choose from; Pizza, hot dogs, burgers, custom sandwiches, ice cream, soda. They had everything I ever could have wanted. After a few minutes of intense thinking, I decided on a slice of pizza, some soda, and a bag of Pokémon food for Exeggcute.

Just as I had sat down to eat, the Chansey from before came waddling over to me with a tray holding a Poke ball. They even delivered your Pokémon straight to you when they were done healing them! I could really get used to this. I retrieved the ball from on top of the tray and was rewarded with a bow from Chansey, after which it retreated back to Nurse Joy's side.

I let Exeggcute out and poured the bag of Pokémon food I had bought onto the little styrofoam tray they had placed my plate and cup on when I purchased my food. Each little egg that Exeggcute consisted of seemed to act independently and yet together at the same time; they were dividing the food into six equal portions, one for each egg. Pokémon would never cease to amaze me.

"Hi, Rolf. Mind if we sit with you?"

I looked up to find Lucia and Hershel holding trays of food.

"Sure, as long as it's okay with Hershel." I answered. Both Lucia and I looked at Hershel expectantly.

"Tch. Fine, I don't care." Hershel said as he placed his tray on the table and took a seat, all the while, not making eye contact.

Lucia rolled her eyes and followed suit. "So, Rolf, how was your walk through Route 1?" She asked in an attempt to strike up some friendly conversation.

"It was…." I thought back to when Exeggcute hid the fainted Rattata in tall grass. "….mostly uneventful."

"Ours was pretty uneventful too." Lucia commented.

"Well what did you expect, sister? It's Route-freaking-1! Nothing exciting ever happens there!" Hershel said.

"I know that, brother! I was just trying to converse so we didn't just sit here awkwardly!" Lucia said angrily.

Ugh, I always feel awkward when people argue in front of me, what could I do though? Seeing as they're siblings, I doubt I can ease the tension between them very easily.

"Um, why don't you two let your Pokémon out eat or something? I'm sure they'd enjoy that." Gah! The awkwardness is so painful!

They both stopped their arguing and looked at me. After internalizing my words and realizing they were making a scene, they turned their backs to each other and released their Pokémon. As soon as Vulpix and Krabby materialized, they began making their way over to Exeggcute, only to be stopped in their tracks by three of the eggs who seemed intent on not letting them pass. Vulpix and Krabby were only allowed to pass once the other three eggs had overturned their styrofoam tray, hidden the last bits of their food beneath it, and were standing (sitting?) on top of it like it was completely normal.

Well, I had to give them credit where credit was due; they knew how to work as an effective team, that's for sure. Even as our Pokémon talked and played together, Exeggcute made sure that at least two eggs were on top of the styrofoam tray at all times.

Despite the fact that our Pokémon were associating well with one another, Hershel and Lucia were still turned away from each other with their arms crossed.

"I'm going to go rent my room for tonight." Lucia said as she rose from her seat. She walked over to the front counter and had a brief conversation with Nurse Joy before stalking up a set of stairs without even a backward glance.

I sat in silence for a moment, not quite sure what to do, and just watched as Vulpix started rolling one of the eggs and Krabby started a staring contest with one of the others. Wait, Vulpix was still here, in her upset state, Lucia had forgotten to recall it.

"Uh, Hershel, your sister left her Vulpix here." I said.

"….And?"

"Well, shouldn't you get it back to her?"

"Why don't you do it? You two seem like you're good friends after all." Hershel said snidely.

"Why are you two always arguing anyway?" I asked.

"Why should I tell you?" He said with a glare.

"I don't know, I was just wondering…"

"….Fine. It's because I never wanted to go on this journey in the first place." He explained.

"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"I mean exactly what I said. I had plans to be a business man, like my father. But as soon as father's princess expressed the wish to go on a Pokémon journey, he demanded that I go with her to make sure she stayed safe. We both argued against it, of course, but my father wouldn't have it. And so, I ended up in the position I'm in now."

I was speechless for a little while. I guess that is a pretty good reason to be bitter, after all, he'd be spending the next few years of his life doing something he never wanted to do.

"Well, then isn't that all the more reason to get along, since you'll be spending quite a while together?" I asked.

I was promptly rewarded with a snarl and a glare that would have terrified a Rhydon.

"I would try that, except that she's completely insufferable and impossibly disagreeable!" He exclaimed.

I raised my hands in mock surrender. "All right, all I'm saying is that this whole journey will probably be better if you go apologize to her and then at least _try_ to get along."

"….Bah! Why do you have to make sense?" Hershel said, frustration obvious in his voice. "Fine, I'll try. But if this doesn't work out, I'm blaming you."

He got up from his seat, returned Krabby, and picked Vulpix up. He started to walk away, but then stopped.

"By the way, Rolf, I'm….sorry…for how I acted after our battle."

I wasn't expecting that. "Oh, well, it's all water under the bridge now, right?" I said as I awkwardly scratched my head.

"If you tell Lucia that I apologized to you, your life is forfeit. Got it?" I could tell by the tone of his voice that this was no empty threat. He was actually going to kill me if I told her about this.

I gulped heavily. "Ha ha…I got it…." I said nervously.

"Good." And with that, he was gone.

Exeggcute watched as Hershel left, and more importantly to him, as Vulpix and Krabby left. Once they were out of sight, he flipped the styrofoam tray and proceeded to finish off the last morsels of the Pokémon food he had hidden earlier.

I wasn't sure if what I had done would make things better or worse, but for the time being things were quiet. I looked down at my plate, noticing the cold and half eaten slice of pizza sitting there staring up at me. I sighed a heavy sigh as I threw my plate into the nearest trash can, the weight of the half eaten pizza making a loud 'Clunk' as it hit the bottom.

I recalled Exeggcute and walked over to the window just to the left of the main entrance. There still seemed to be some sunlight left, I guess I could look around Viridian a bit.

I left the Pokémon Center and started familiarizing myself with the city. Just a bit north of the Pokémon Center was The Trainer House. To the east was the abandoned lot where the Poke Mart was before they combined the Poke Mart and the Pokémon Center. In the north-west corner was the old Viridian Gym. And just to the west of the Pokémon Center was a small fishing pond, it was originally just a small pond with nothing really special about it, but the mayor of Viridian City saw an opportunity to capitalize on tourism and turned it into a commercial fishing pond. Other than that, there wasn't much here.

Seeing as I had nothing else to do, I figured I'd go ahead and try out the fishing pond. As I walked towards it, I noticed the grass here had an unusual blue-green coloring, I guess that's where the city got its name.

I entered the gate to the pond and was stopped in my tracks by the gate guard.

"Hey there, welcome to the Viridian City Fishing Pond, or VCFP for short. Would you like to go fish?" He asked with a wide smile.

"Yes, please. How much is it to enter?"

"500PD." He answered, still with that smile on his face.

Geez, I could pay that much to get into the Safari Zone in Fuchsia City. I counted out the required money and handed to the man.

"Thank you very much! Here's your fishing rod!" He handed me what looked like an ordinary stick with a string tied onto the end.

"Uh, thanks, I guess." I muttered as I stepped into the fishing area.

The pond wasn't anything impressive, just a small patch of water that was just barely deep enough that you couldn't see the bottom, and yet people said that these ponds could hold hundreds, thousands, and even millions of water type Pokémon.

I released Exeggcute, just in case I got something on the line, although that seemed impossible with this rod. I sat down next to the water's edge and cast the line into the pond. And then I waited…..and waited….and waited….and waited a little more…and then waited a bit longer, but nothing was happening. I was about to give up hope of finding anything and head back to the Pokémon Center, when I felt a small tug on the line. I peered into the water, but nothing was readily visible. I waited for a couple more minutes, getting a few tugs every so often, and then came a strong tug. I had hooked something! I grinned in determination and pulled on the rod, I reached for the reel when I realized that this rod was even worse than the Old Rod, all I could do was pull. Exeggcute started rolling into the front of my legs in an attempt to help me move backwards. I pulled harder than I'd ever pulled anything in my life, and eventually, I managed to pull the fish out of the pond. I fell backwards and landed hard on my behind, I waited to hear the thump of the fish hitting the grass…but it never came. At first I thought the fish had simply gotten away, but when I looked up, I saw that I had hooked a Mantyke.

Even though Mantyke was a flying type, he couldn't actually fly, but he could do this little hover thing. I stared at it for a second before realizing that I should probably engage it in battle.

"Exeggcute, use Barrage!" I commanded.

I kind of expected Exeggcute to pull some seeds or something out if thin air to chuck at Mantyke, but instead of that, the eggs began using what little psychic power they had this point to launch each other at Mantyke. After one of them was launched and returned to the ground, he would immediately roll back to the main group to assist in launching the next egg. They managed to launch five of the eggs, but only three of them actually made contact. Mantyke looked a little peeved but otherwise undamaged. Mantyke hovered around for a bit before spewing a stream of bubbles at the eggs. The eggs couldn't move fast enough to get out of the way before the bubbles struck them, I didn't think bubbles could do very much damage, but Exeggcute looked like he was in legitimate pain.

"Alright, Exeggcute, use Hypnosis!" I ordered.

All the eggs eyes started glowing blue simultaneously as they began gently swaying back and forth in a hypnotic fashion. Unfortunately, Mantyke was focused on me rather than on his immediate opponent. Exeggcute soon stopped his attack, looking slightly fatigued from using so much psychic power. Not missing a beat, Mantyke let out an ear splitting screech, leaving Exeggcute in complete confusion and disarray.

"Use, um, Barrage!" I said.

The eggs started launching themselves just like before; this time however, they were launching each other in random directions. One managed to make contact with Mantyke's right wing, crippling it slightly and bringing Mantyke down to the ground. The egg wasn't very fortunate after that though; after hitting Mantyke's wing, it rolled into the pond and started to sink to the bottom.

Worrying for the single egg's safety, I took off my shoes and jumped into the pond, Mantyke would have to wait. I dove to the bottom of the pond, but it was hard to spot a single small egg amongst all the boulders at the bottom. I started moving boulders around trying to find the egg before I ran out of air. I moved another boulder and spotted a small opening in the bottom of the pond that looked like it opened into a much larger area. I panicked for a moment, wondering if the egg had fallen through the hole. I peeked through but I couldn't see much, just a whole lot of blue, and then I saw something coming up toward me rapidly. I moved away from the hole…but nothing happened. I peeked through the hole once more and saw the shadow of a large Pokémon swimming away just as a smaller one approached the hole. I moved back to allow the small Pokémon to enter. It was a Tentacool, and what's more is that it was holding the egg I was looking for! It thrust the egg toward me and I gladly took it, after handing me the egg, it gave me a look as if to say 'Don't come near our territory again' before retreating back into the depths of the undersea cavern. Huh, so that's how so many Pokémon can fit in one pond.

I quickly realized that I was extremely lacking in the oxygen department. I raced back to the surface, breaking the surface just as my lungs gave out and inhaled. I swam over to the edge of the pond and climbed out. Wiping the water out of my eyes, I looked around for Mantyke and the rest of Exeggcute; I found Mantyke right where I left him, except that the eggs had climbed on top of him and had pinned him down. I gave Exeggcute a smile of approval and set down the egg I had retrieved from the pond. As soon as he touched down, he rolled over in front of Mantyke, his eyes began glowing, and he began swaying back and forth hypnotically. With nowhere else to look, Mantyke fell asleep in a matter of seconds and Exeggcute looked at me expectantly. I rustled through my backpack, noticing that most of my items had been ruined by the water, and found one of the Poke balls Professor Oak had given me. I tapped the ball against Mantyke and he was instantly absorbed into the ball; it shook once….twice….three times…and clicked! I had caught a Mantyke! It was a lot of work, but it was worth it.

I looked back at Exeggcute, seeing that they were exhausted, I recalled them. I put Exeggcute and my newly caught Mantyke into my backpack, carrying my shoes in one hand and the fishing rod in the other; I entered the Fishing Pond gate once more and returned the rod. For some reason the guard didn't take notice of the fact that I was sopping wet and simply said:

"I hope you had fun, please come back again!" While still wearing that creepy grin of his, it gave me chills worse than being completely soaked in the middle of the night. I would most likely not be returning to the pond, if for no other reason than because of that creepy gate guard.

After exiting the Fishing Pond gate, I made a beeline for the Pokémon Center. A nice warm bed sounded good right about now.

* * *

**A/N: Here it is, chapter two of Pokémon: Facades! I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you thought of it in the reviews. I'd really like to know if you guys thought the pacing was okay, if the battle scene was any good, and if the dialogue between Rolf, Hershel, and Lucia was good or if it felt too bland.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Into the Forest**

* * *

Warm beds were extremely under appreciated sometimes. When I had gotten back to the Pokémon Center, I headed straight for the front counter to get a room for the night. Nurse Joy quickly noticed that I was sopping wet and gave me a room key without hesitation. As I had shuffled up the stairs, I look behind me to see Chansey wiping the water off the floor where I had been.

I reached the door to my room, unlocked it, and stepped inside. The room wasn't anything special, but it had a homey feel to it. There was a bed in the corner with a nightstand and lamp next to it, there was a desk in the opposite corner, and on the left wall was the door to the bathroom.

I headed over to the desk first and dumped everything out of my soaked backpack to see what I could salvage. My journal and town map were completely destroyed, all the Poke balls seemed fine but I wouldn't really know until I used them, my spare changes of clothes were soaked but otherwise okay, and the Pokémon Rulebook was nothing more than a wet wad of paper in the bottom of my pack. I tossed out the things that were no longer usable and set the rest out to dry. I released Exeggcute and Mantyke so they could get acquainted with each other, and then collapsed onto the bed.

* * *

I awoke in the morning feeling a little sore and achy. Getting up from my bed with a yawn, I checked on all the stuff I had left out the night before to dry; my clothes were still a tad damp, but not enough to really matter. I felt something tap against the back of my leg and looked behind me to see Mantyke headbutting me. I reached down and picked him up so I could get a good look at him; I hadn't had time to do so yesterday because I was in a rush to get back to the Pokémon Center.

Mantyke's strengths lied in his Sp. Defense and Sp. Attack stats, while he kinda lagged behind in Attack and HP. Just by looking at Mantyke's face, I could tell he didn't like me. This was reinforced when Mantyke blew some bubbles in my face. When the bubbles made contact, I could now see why Exeggcute had seemed to be in such pain, these were not ordinary bubbles; they felt like acid and magma had been mixed together, and I was pretty sure the moves Bubble and Bubblebeam had been created by the Devil himself.

I dropped Mantyke and crumpled to the floor, clutching my face in pain. I could hear some kind of ruckus going on around me, but right now I really didn't care what was happening. I was sure that my face was going to be badly scarred after this. The pain soon subsided and I immediately went to the bathroom to see what my face looked like, it was…fine. Somehow, even with how those bubbles felt, they didn't seem to cause any permanent damage. I breathed a sigh of relief and then walked back to the main room. I found Exeggcute and Mantyke on the floor where Exeggcute had once again brought Mantyke down to the floor and was now perched on top of him just like back at the pond. I guess Exeggcute was smarter than I give him credit for; he was obviously capable of acting independent of his trainer.

I recalled Mantyke and Exeggcute. It looked like it was gonna take some time before Mantyke warmed up to me. I stowed my Pokémon in my backpack along with everything else I had set out to dry the night before and hurried downstairs. I returned my room key at the front desk and left the Pokémon Center.

Today was a beautiful day; the sun was shining brightly, there was a nice breeze, and the deep blue sky only held a few white clouds. I had high hopes for the day.

"Hey, Rolf, whatcha up to?" I pulled my gaze down from the sky above and saw Hershel and Lucia in front of me.

"Oh, just getting ready to head into Viridian Forest and such." I answered.

"What a coincidence! That's where we were headed too, right, Hershel?" Lucia asked.

"Um...yeah, whatever you say…" Hershel seemed to be trying his very best not to say something snarky.

Lucia smiled. "I'm not sure why, but Hershel's been really agreeable lately." Lucia told me.

Hershel and I shared a quick glance of understanding. "That must be a nice change of pace then." I commented.

"Mhm!" Lucia nodded.

"Can we please get back to the task at hand? I'd really like to get through the forest before nightfall." Hershel said.

"Alright alright, but first; Rolf, I challenge you to a battle!" Lucia announced. "I didn't have the chance to battle you back in Pallet Town, so I'd like to battle you now."

"Fine, I accept your challenge." I said with a confident grin.

We moved back from each other to have enough space for our battle and Hershel moved to the middle of the field.

"This will be a single battle with no restrictions. Begin!" Hershel yelled.

"Go, Vulpix!"

_Okay, if she's sending out Vulpix, then I'd have a better chance if I used Mantyke first…But I can't help but worry, after all, Mantyke was in a less than amiable mood this morning. I can still remember the pain of that Bubblebeam on my face, but Exeggcute doesn't stand much of a chance, so I don't really have a choice…_

"Come on out, Mantyke!" I threw the ball up into the air, watching as the white light streamed out and onto the ground. Mantyke soon materialized, and he still didn't look happy. He turned away from Vulpix and came to headbutt my legs repeatedly instead.

I sighed in frustration. There wasn't a lot I could do about it. If I tried picking him up again, there was a good chance he'd Bubblebeam my face again.

I looked across the field to see Lucia wearing a look of confusion, and Hershel looking like he was about to burst out laughing. I gestured for them to wait a second as I crouched down.

"Alright Mantyke, I really need you to help me out here. I'm well aware that you're not happy about having been caught, but you're in a battle right now, and if you don't defend yourself, that Vulpix is going to hurt you, m'kay?" I explained as I patted his head (Back?).

He stopped headbutting my legs and stayed still for a few moments. He seemed to be mulling over what I had said. After a while, he turned back towards Vulpix and advanced towards the center of the field.

"All right, we're finally ready to battle now." I yelled across the field.

"Okay then. Vulpix, use Tail Whip!" Lucia ordered.

Vulpix sat down and began wagging its tail cutely. Mantyke seemed to be in some kind of trance, just staring at Vulpix's tail as it wagged back and forth, and it didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.

"Mantyke, use Tackle!" I yelled.

It took him a few minutes before finally obeying, but eventually he did. He started charging towards Vulpix as fast as he could.

"Vulpix, dodge and then use Ember!"

It became apparent that Vulpix's Speed was higher than Mantyke's as Vulpix gracefully hopped out of Mantyke's path. And to add insult to injury, Vulpix managed to spit a few embers at Mantyke _while_ she was in the air. The Ember made contact and it was immediately clear that Mantyke didn't give a crap as he turned around and came straight at Vulpix again, and this time Vulpix didn't have time to dodge seeing as she was just now landing after her first dodge.

Mantyke collided with Vulpix, causing her to let out a pained scream. They both tumbled to the ground, Mantyke being the first to get back up with Vulpix following suit shortly after. It was clear that Vulpix was a little bit damaged, but it didn't seem to bother her too much.

"Vulpix, Ember again!"

"Mantyke, go for Bubblebeam!"

The two attacks clashed in mid-air, causing an explosion.I was about to wonder how a little mix of fire and water could cause an explosion, before remembering that those bubbles were by no means just regular water bubbles.

Smoke had enveloped the field, leaving us blind as to what had happened to Mantyke and Vulpix. After a few anxious minutes, the smoke cleared and we could see the two Pokémon now. Vulpix was down and out, and Mantyke was just barely clinging onto consciousness.

"Vulpix, return." Lucia said. "Well, you're not the only one that got a new Pokémon. Go, Feebas!"

What erupted from that ball was by far the ugliest little fish I had ever seen. It kinda reminded me of Magikarp, but less awesome, and a lot more depressing. I was speechless; there was nothing I could say about this fish that wasn't already apparent just by looking at it.

"…Um…Okay. Mantyke, use…tackle..." I said. I had far less enthusiasm about this battle than I did about the last one.

Mantyke managed to hover just a little off the ground, making his way towards Feebas for a Tackle attack.

"Feebas, use Splash!" Lucia commanded.

Feebas began splashing around uselessly, not really doing anything, but as Mantyke approached, one of Feebas' random flops landed it on top of Mantyke, pushing him to the ground. Mantyke ceased moving. I face palmed, wondering what the odds were that Feebas could have landed on top of Mantyke.

I returned Mantyke and stared at Feebas for a moment as it lay on the ground, completely helpless…or so it seemed. As I stared into Feebas' eyes, I could see that they were not filled with emptiness and resignation to its weakness, but instead, I saw a fire; a fire that was filled with hate and anger. I realized that this was no fish to be trifled with.

"You've got this, Exeggcute!"

Exeggcute became immediately aware of Feebas and seemed to be having a stare down with it. I tried giving Exeggcute an order, but as soon as I started speaking, one of the eggs turned around and gave me a look that clearly said 'Not yet', and so I waited. Lucia wasn't calling out an order either, so I assumed she must have received a similar communication from Feebas. The two Pokémon simply stared at each other, never looking away for even a second, never blinking, and just staring. Eventually, Exeggcute closed its eyes and turned away from its opponent, I supposed that this meant it had lost whatever psychological match they were having. Exeggcute used the little psychic ability he had to grab his own Poke ball from my hand and lower it to the ground; he pushed the button and was promptly sucked inside. I picked up the ball, feeling slightly confused at the sudden turn of events.

_Exeggcute totally had the upper hand, so why would he forfeit so quickly? Exeggcute must have seen what I saw in that fish's eyes; death and destruction._

"Exeggcute is…unable to battle. Feebas is the winner." Hershel stated, sounding just as confused as I felt.

"Feebas, return!" Lucia sauntered across the field with a smug smile on her face.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a couple hundred bucks.

"Thank _You_!" Lucia said as she snatched them from my hand with that same smug smile.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, we both know I should have won that battle." I said bitterly.

"He's right, you know." Hershel commented.

"But you didn't, did you?" Lucia said.

"She has point, Rolf." Hershel said.

I turned slowly to look at Hershel. "C'mon man. Pick a side and stick with it."

Hershel merely shrugged his shoulders and turned away. "But in any case, if we plan to get through the forest before dark, we should probably get moving soon."

"Well let's go then, brother." The way Lucia said it made it sound like _she_ had been waiting for _him_ to be ready.

"You know, I'm not so sure getting along with her was such a great idea, Rolf. She seems to think that she's the queen of the world now that no one is contesting her position." Hershel stated.

"…Yeah, maybe you shouldn't get along with her as well as you have been…" I responded.

In the distance, we could see Lucia entering the Pokémon Center with a spring in her step. Hershel and I stayed where we, neither of us wanting to be involved with her until absolutely necessary.

Seeing as we were standing rather awkwardly side by side, I felt like I should make some kind of conversation with Hershel while we waited, but I didn't really have anything to talk about.

"So…what's up?" I began mentally slapping myself as the words came out of my mouth. Hershel gave me a strange look, but answered anyway.

"Not much. What about you?"

"Eh, same old, same old." I replied.

"So then what was the point of trying to start a conversation if you didn't have anything to say?"

"I don't know, it was just starting to feel a little bit awkward with no talking going on."

"It's not awkward until you make it awkward, kid." Hershel said with a sigh in his voice.

"Whoa whoa whoa, wait just a second. First off, how can you call me a kid? You can't possibly be much older than I am. And second, what's with the sigh?"

"You have much to learn, young one…" Hershel said with another sigh and an air of mystery. And with that, he started off towards the forest.

"Hey-Wait up! Shouldn't we wait for your sister?" I asked.

"I'm sure she'll find her way through without us." He answered back.

I didn't like the thought of leaving her behind, but Hershel was clearly moving forward with or without her, and I didn't want to go through the forest alone with her. I guess I didn't really have a choice, did I?

I ran to catch up with him, and together we entered the forest.

* * *

Viridian Forest was…different than I had imagined. Despite it being early afternoon, the forest was almost pitch black with just a few dapples of sunlight littering the forest floor but still not offering enough light to see anything. Through the inky blackness, I could just barely make out a few vaguely human shapes. The only thing I could see clearly was Hershel due to his bright white suit.

"You got a flashlight?" I asked Hershel.

"Nope. I feel like the light from a flashlight would merely get swallowed by the darkness anyway." It sounded like the darkness even muffled sound.

"Then how are we gonna make it through without bumping into stuff every five steps?" I asked.

"Well" Hershel drawled. "You and Lucia aren't the only ones that got a new Pokémon. Come on out, Hoothoot!" There was a short flash of light, and then we were in complete darkness again, although now there were quiet hooting sounds.

"Alright, Hoothoot, can you show us the way out?" Hershel asked.

We heard what I could only assume was an affirmative hoot, before Hoothoot started hooting continuously. Judging by the hooting, he was moving farther and farther away from us.

"Well, what are you waiting for? We have to follow him!"

I could just barely make out Hershel somewhere in the distance. How had he gotten over there so fast?! I ran towards him, tripping over branches and undergrowth numerous times as I did so. Eventually, I caught up with him and we continued on our way, finding our way through the forest only thanks to Hershel's Hoothoot.

As we walked, I occasionally saw a shadow move behind the trees out of the corner of my eye, but every time I tried to focus on them, they seemed to disappear.

_There's another one!_

I turned to look at it as fast as I could, I caught a quick glimpse, but then it was gone. It's not like that glimpse did me any good though, even looking straight at it, it still had just looked like a shadow. I stared at where it had been, hoping that maybe I could see something.

"Hey Hershel, do you get the feeling that we're being followed?" I asked.

…..No response. It was only now that I realized I couldn't hear Hoothoot anymore, nor could I see Hershel's bright, white suit. In essence, I was now lost, with no way of finding my way out of this accursed forest.

I could see the shadow out of the corner of my eye again, except this time it was accompanied my rustling bushes. I spun to look at it, and this time it didn't flee, instead, it was moving towards me! I pulled out Exeggcute's Poke Ball, anticipating a battle. The figure stopped for a moment, and then continued forward. I sent out Exeggcute and the figure stopped once again. From where the figure was, there was a flash of light, and then I heard a voice.

"Zubat, Wing Attack!"

I heard the flapping of wings and then a pained cry from Exeggcute. I stooped down to where Exeggcute was so I could see him, and discovered that he had been taken out with just that one attack. I recalled him and then reached for Mantyke's ball, only to realize that I hadn't healed my Pokémon up after my battle with Lucia. What rotten luck.

"Seems like you're fresh out of Pokémon, friend." The way the figure said that gave me the impression that we were definitely not friends.

"Wh-who are you? What do you want?" I mentally kicked myself for stuttering.

"Well, I'd rather not explain that where anyone could hear us. So why don't you come with us and we'll explain everything when we get back to the base?"

"Did you say 'us'?" I asked.

"I did, didn't I? You seem like a bright kid, I'm sure you can figure out what that means."

Before I had time to respond, something hard and heavy hit my head. I was out before I even hit the ground.

* * *

**A/N: I'm kinda mad at myself, I had outlined the entire plot of this story, but then while I was writing this chapter, it just felt right to go in the direction I did. But that also means I'm gonna have to reconfigure the plotline to fit with how I'm doing the story now. But otherwise, I quite liked writing this chapter. Tell me what you thought! Was it good, was it bad, was it okay, was it meh, what did you like, what didn't you like?**

**Thanks for Reading! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Bad Day**

* * *

A skull crushing headache was never a good thing to have as soon as you wake up, but that's exactly what I had. I opened my eyes to find that I couldn't see anything; I could just feel some kind of cloth bag covering my face. In addition, my wrists and ankles seemed to be bound.

I strained my ears, trying to hear anything I could. There was a faint sound of muffled voices, but I couldn't make out what was being said.

"Hello!?" I yelled. "Is someone there?"

The voices stopped, and then there was the sound of a door opening.

"Well, looks like someone finally decided to wake up." A voice said.

"For a while, we thought you were never gonna wake up." A second voice said sarcastically. This was the same man that had spoken to me in the forest.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" I asked.

"Well, we mostly just wanted your Pokémon, your money, all your items, and anything else you might have had that could be considered valuable. But the boss suggested that anyone we mug should probably be brought back here, just so there are no police reports, you get me?" The first voice said.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa wait a minute! So when are you gonna let me go?!" I asked, panicked.

"Mmm, I reckon we'll let you go once we have control of the region." The second voice said in mock thoughtfulness.

"And when will that be?!" Now I was really starting to panic.

"Eh, probably in another few years, assuming things go according to plan, that is." The first voice said.

_Well isn't this just my luck, I'm out on my adventure for two days, and all of a sudden I find myself kidnapped and in a position to be killed at any time or be left to starve to death!_

"Well, not that this isn't fun, kid, but we really should be getting back to work."

"Wait! Isn't there any way that you'll let me out of here!?" I asked.

"Not really, especially since the boss told us specifically that we shouldn't let you go."

"Could I talk to your boss? Maybe I could convince him otherwise!"

"Mmmm, I highly doubt that, kid. But if you insist, I'll go tell the boss that you'd like to speak with him, but you might not like the outcome."

"I don't care, just please let me talk to him!"

"Alright, alright. Just cool your jets, we'll go get him."

As the two of them left the room, I could hear them snickering about something. That couldn't be good. But nonetheless, I waited. Every now and then, I could hear someone pass by outside the room I was in.

Eventually, the door opened once again, this time it seemed to be only one pair of feet.

"So." A voice said. "They tell me you wanted to speak with me, now speak." The voice was obviously male, and it held a very authoritative tone.

"W-well, um, they were saying I couldn't leave here for a long time, but I was hoping that maybe if I talked to you, you might decide to let me go?" As the words spilled out of my mouth, I realized just how dumb they sounded.

"Heh…Heh heh. Judging from how you said that, you're not too sure of yourself." He said. I could practically hear him smirking. "I'll cut you a deal: I'll let you go about your business, but in return, you'll lend me your assistance whenever I require it."

"Assistance for what?" I asked warily.

"You're not in a position to be asking questions, instead, you should just take the deal, and then everyone will be happy, ya get me?" I could hear the irritation in his voice.

"I…don't have any other choices, do I?"

"Atta boy, smart choice." He said with a chuckle.

The ropes binding my hands and feet and the bag covering my head were promptly removed and for the first time, I could see my captor. Despite being indoors, he was wearing a black trench coat and fedora, and besides that all I could see was his mocking smirk.

"Welcome to the team, kid! You should probably take this for when you're on assignments."

He tossed me a small duffel bag that he had been holding. I opened it to find a uniform of some kind, complete with boots, gloves, and a hat. I was about to ask what all of this was, when I held up the shirt to get a good look at it and instantly realized exactly what this was. Stamped on the front of the black shirt was a large red 'R'.

"Heh heh, I see you've figured out who we are."

"But-but, I thought Team Rocket was disbanded ten years ago! Didn't Champion Red tear you guys apart? And then three years later, didn't Champion Gold defeat you once and for all?" My head was spinning. I had thought that these guys were gonna be small time criminals, or even just thugs, but no, my bad luck struck again and I was roped into joining Team Rocket.

"Yes, it's true we were disbanded a number of years ago, but we're making a comeback, and this time there won't be anyone to stop us. Red is…unable to stop us this time around, and Gold has taken up Red's old perch on Mt. Silver for whatever reason, leaving only the Elite Four to stop us, but even they aren't capable of such things."

"What do you mean 'Red is unable to stop you'?" I had a bad feeling about this.

"Let's just say he's busy at the moment." The man looked like he was trying his best not to burst out laughing.

I couldn't handle this. Champion Red was every kid's hero! He couldn't just be gone like that, they had to just be keeping him somewhere. Maybe…maybe I could step up to the task and defeat Team Rocket, I mean, the last two times they were beaten, it was at the hands of a ten year old who had just set out on his journey. Now, I was several years above ten, but I had just set on an adventure, so maybe it was my turn.

"Oh yeah." The man said. "I haven't properly introduced myself; the name's Giovanni, I was the leader of Team Rocket back in the day."

I had deduced that much given the fact that the two people that had been here before (grunts, I assumed) called him 'The Boss', but it was still a shock to hear those words. After all, this man had made Kanto into dying region. Crime had been rampant, almost all police officers were corrupt, and even Gym Leaders and Elite Four members had been his to command. He was truly a force to be reckoned with.

"Well, if you're not gonna say anything else, I suggest you be on your way. I don't have the time to deal punks like you, there's too much work to be done." Giovanni said.

"O-oh, um, okay. But, what about-"

"Your Pokémon and bag?" He interrupted. "You'll get your bag back on the way out. However, I'm going to keep your Pokémon as hostages for a little while, just to make sure you obey orders."

"How am I supposed to go anywhere without Pokémon!? How am I supposed to be able to make money if I can't battle other trainers?"

"Hire an escort, or get one of your friends to take you around, or better yet: Don't go in the tall grass! Isn't that what Professor Oak is always telling people? And as for money, you'll get paid after every assignment, but that's not gonna be enough for you to get by on, so I suggest you get a normal job like everyone else, ya get me?" He said with a scowl.

"I…yeah, I get ya." I said as I hung my head.

"Good, now get out."

I dejectedly walked out the door, wondering if Exeggcute and Mantyke were okay. What if I never saw them again? Would they just sit in a dark room to rot until Giovanni saw fit to give them back to me? I didn't know what to do.

I walked down the dimly lit hallway for a while, before realizing that I didn't know where I was going.

* * *

An hour and lots of frustration later, I found the exit stairs. As I walked towards it and was intercepted by a grunt, she handed me my bag without a word. I took it and walked up and out.

At the top of the stairs, I found myself in a noisy and brightly lit room. Coins were clanging, people were cursing to themselves, and there was the occasional shout of joy. A Game Corner.

I ran out the door, wondering where in the world they had taken me. Outside the Game Corner, I found myself in Celadon City. They must have used fly to get me all the way over here.

As I wondered why they would put their headquarters under the Game Corner _again_, I became aware of another presence lurking nearby. I whipped around, instantly seeing a man dressed in red standing with his hands behind his back and staring right back at me. And when I say he was dressed all in red, I mean it; his boots, his socks, even his slicked back hair was red! The only thing he was wearing that wasn't red was his large glasses with a peculiar stone fitted into one side.

"Are you quite ready?" He asked.

"Ready for what, and who are you?" Why was it suddenly my destiny to meet every weirdo around?

"I thought Giovanni would have informed you. But no matter, I'll explain." He said, his voice was rather monotone, but still commanded respect. "My name is Maxie, I'm the leader of Team Magma, and unfortunately, I owe Giovanni a favor."

_Well, at least he got right to the point instead of drawing things out._

"But isn't Team Magma based in Hoenn?" I asked, confused.

"Indeed, we are _based_ in Hoenn, but we now have a branch in Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh." He explained. "But let's get back to the task at hand; Giovanni has asked me to help you find a regular job as he thought you were incapable of doing so yourself."

"I find that offensive." I interjected.

"Don't blame me, I'm just delivering the message." He said. "Now, before we start looking for a job, I'd like to make you an offer; I'd like you to be my inside informant on Team Rocket's dealings. Now I know that at this point, you're not going to hear much, but I'd like you to climb the metaphorical ladder until you start hearing everything that Team Rocket does."

"Aaaaanndd why would I help you?" I asked skeptically.

"Don't you want to bring Team Rocket down? Don't you hate them? Aren't you being forced to join them against your will?"

"…I guess you've got a point there. Fine, you have yourself a deal, I'll help out. But just out of curiosity, why do you need to know what Team Rocket is up to?" I asked.

"I suppose you deserve to know. Currently, Team Rocket is only in Kanto, and I'd like to keep that way. I can't have Giovanni sending people into Hoenn and I know a few people that don't want them in Sinnoh. Unfortunately, they're already in Johto, so I can't do much about that, but we plan to drive them out of there as well eventually."

"If I may ask one more question; who is we?"

"Team Magma and Team Aqua." He answered simply.

"Are you guys finally getting along? Last time I checked, you two hated each other, and I remember hearing that a calamity struck in Hoenn a few years ago thanks to you two."

"True, we did almost destroy the human race and the world in general, but thankfully, we were thwarted and peace returned to Hoenn. We were given a chance to improve our lives and repair the damage we had done, but no matter what we did, we were still treated like criminals. So as it stands, we still have no way of turning away from a life crime, so we've decided to work together until our teams are able to stand on their own." He seemed to be getting a little worked up talking about the past.

"I…see. So, um, will I be getting paid for my services?" I asked hesitantly.

Maxie sighed. "As I've said, Team Magma is not able to stand on its own feet due to financial issues, lack of members, and so on and so forth. So I won't be able to pay you until such time as we have stabilized ourselves. So you will still have to get a normal job, but do not fret, I have connections."

Maxie turned and started walking away without giving me a chance to respond.

I think I would enjoy working for Maxie more than working for Giovanni. Maxie seemed to be a straightforward guy who explained things fully instead of giving cryptic half answers. But I don't mean I'm actually going to be happy about working for Maxie, he's still the leader of a criminal syndicate.

Gaaahh, why and how did I get mixed up in all this? I'd like to say I was calm about it, and maybe I seemed that way on the outside, but if I did, it was only because I was too shaken up to fully process the situation. I mean, in the course of a few hours, I had joined not one but two criminal syndicates! I'm pretty sure that's not okay! But I had no way out if it, there was nothing I could do about it.

What scared me the most though, was just thinking about Exeggcute and Mantyke. All alone, stored in some musty basement storage room, unable to even get out and stretch a bit. Could Pokémon starve inside their Pokéballs!? I certainly hope not, if they could, then I would be responsible for the death of two Pokémon, and I'm pretty sure that that's also not okay…Maybe the day would get better if I could just stick it out.

I called after Maxie to wait up as I ran to catch up with him, hoping that whatever 'connections' he had to get me job did not include any more crime syndicates.

* * *

**A/N: LATE CHAPTER! I really have no excuse for this, I was just lazy. I've had plenty of free days, but gosh dang it! I just couldn't motivate myself to write, even while writing this chapter I kept getting sidetracked and doing other stuff. But here it is.**

**Like before, tell me what you thought. Was the dialogue okay? is the story moving too fast? Those kinds of things.**

**Thanks for Reading!**


End file.
